In today’s digital age, technology has become an integral part of almost every aspect of our lives. One area that’s seeing a significant shift toward digitalization is quality and food safety management. Food safety management system software solutions are designed to empower businesses to achieve excellence in Quality, Food Safety, Regulatory, and Traceability Management at a very affordable price.
What Should Food Workers Use to Protect Ready-to-Eat Food from Contamination?
Poor hygiene can lead to contamination by different kinds of hazards such as microbiological hazards which are food poisoning bacteria and viruses that come from raw food and are transferred by food handlers hands skin and hair to high-risk foods.
To ensure maximum protection in ready-to-eat food, food workers need to ensure their uniforms should stay in-house and should be laundered. A clean uniform should be put at the start of the day and placed in a designated area at the end of the day. Hats and beard snouts should be provided to prevent hair from falling into the food. Disposable cloths should be put on to prevent bacteria from transferring from the hand onto the food. Aprons and jackets should be worn to prevent outdoor or ordinary clothing from coming in contact with food.
Food workers and food handlers with infected cuts and sores can continue to work with food provided that the wound is covered with a clean, easy-to-detect, waterproof and highly visible band-aid. If cuts, boils or skin infections are serious or can’t be covered then staff need to be excluded from food handling areas. All food handlers and those in charge must follow the highest level of personal hygiene and do regular health check-ups to ensure ready-to-eat foods are free from any communicable diseases. This way they can stay safe and never pose a threat to customers or those around them.
Food safety software helps organizations bring operational efficiencies, enhance product quality, mitigate food safety risk, improve regulatory compliance, provide real-time traceability and digital transparency while also providing a positive return on investment. Many workers in the food industry may not be aware of the health requirements for workers, so we must raise awareness and set some health requirements.
How ISO 22000 Helps the Food Industry?
ISO 22000 standard can be used by any organization in the food supply chain. It is a useful tool for the food industry. The food industry faces many challenges because of the complexity of producing foods. Each year, 600 million people fall ill after eating contaminated food. ISO 22000 can help the food industry manage food safety problems. Here are the benefits of ISO 22000 for the food industry.
- ISO 22000 software is to help the food industry identify and control food safety hazards. The food industry can identify and control food hazards via Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point, HACCP. The organization needs to do a hazard assessment. Hazard assessment is a process for organizations to identify each food safety hazard and determine the action that needs to be taken. The organizations also need to develop a hazard control plan.
- The Second benefit is to minimize food risk and improve the food safety management system. ISO 22000 is based on the Plan-Do-Check-Act model. This model helps the food industry to keep improving. The organization needs to plan the action, carry out the plan, analyze the result, and make the improvement to the food safety.
- The third benefit is to improve customer satisfaction. It is a challenge for the food industry to consistently meet customer satisfaction. In ISO 22000, customer feedback will be recorded, analyzed, and evaluated. Corrective action will be executed if there are complaints from the customer.
- Fourth benefit is to help the food industry meet the regulatory requirements. Regulatory requirement is one of the challenges when the food industry wants to do international trade. They need to comply with the food safety rules for the countries they want to have trade with.
- The fifth benefit is to improve company branding. Implementation of ISO 22000 can give confidence to the public in consuming safe food. The consumer also will feel safe and assured with the business food safety management system.
What are Proper Food Handling Practices?
Proper food handling procedures are key to keeping food safe. As soon as an operation receives food, it should immediately be placed in refrigerated storage, freezer storage, or dry storage. The cardinal rule in proper storage is FIFO- First in, first out. Let’s understand the four rules for proper storage of food.
1- Place all items in the proper storage area. Store all items off the floor. Store raw items separately and above-cooked items. The two biggest culprits in food contamination are time and temperature. Most pathogens cannot survive above 140 degrees Fahrenheit and many cannot survive at temperatures below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. All pathogens thrive in the 40 to 140 degree Fahrenheit range, which is why food workers call that particular temperature range the danger zone.
2- Food service professionals work hard to keep food out of the danger zone. To get cooked foods through the danger zone safely, the food must be brought to less than 40 degrees Fahrenheit as quickly as possible. Remember, improper cooling is one of the leading causes of foodborne illnesses. To properly cool liquids, place the hot liquids in metal containers. Do not use plastic because it insulates rather than conducts heat.
3- To properly reheat items, the temperature of the foods must be brought up to 165 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 15 seconds. The biggest error made in the professional kitchen is when a steam table is used to reheat food. A steam table cannot get food to the proper temperature. Frozen items that are well-wrapped can be safely thawed in two ways. By allowing the item to thaw in the refrigerator, or by placing the item under running water at a temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit or below.
4- To prevent cross-contamination, cutting boards should always be washed and sanitized between use. Another way to avoid cross-contamination is for the food service professional to wash their hands frequently with soap and hot water. Most professional kitchens have separate sinks for hand washing.
Why Is ISO 22000 Necessary?
ISO 22000 which is commonly known as Food Safety Management System (FSMS) aimed at ensuring the safety of the entire food supply chain. ISO 22000 provides a comprehensive framework for organizations involved in food production, processing, and distribution.
ISO 22000 is necessary because it incorporates principles of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) to identify and control food safety hazards. It emphasizes a systematic and preventive approach to food safety, requiring firms to establish and implement effective control measures, maintain strong prerequisite programs, and continually monitor which improve their processes. By implementing ISO 22000, food workers can demonstrate their commitment to delivering safe and quality food products while meeting regulatory requirements and building consumer confidence in the global food industry.
Conclusion
Having software solutions in an organization helps in controlling poor hygiene, keeping connectivity with food workers and ensures food safety. ISO 22000 is one of the food management system software which helps in boosting food handling practices that meet customer requirements and understand organizational needs.
